Obesity has become a global epidemic afflicting both children and adults, and gradually spreading from the Western countries to the developing nations as well. It is now widely recognized that obesity is associated with, and is actually a major culprit in, numerous comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and sleep apnea/sleep-disordered breathing. As recently acknowledged by a joint American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association (AHA/ADA) statement, obesity is an independent risk factor for CVD, and CVD risks have also been documented in obese children. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of overall morbidity and mortality as well as reduced life expectancy. Indeed, obesity and overweight are now listed as independent cardiovascular risk factors in the joint AHA/ADA call for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
With the exception of bariatric surgery, which can only be offered to a limited number of subjects, the lack of any truly effective treatment for obesity highlights the gravity of current prospects to control the obesity epidemic. Preventive measures have generally failed; effective public and political strategies to reshape lifestyle by proper nutrition and exercise so as to counteract the global obesity trends have not yet been formulated. Finally, the current generation of weight-reducing medications offers limited benefit, and indeed, despite more than a decade of use has failed to impact the global obesity challenge. Health service use and medical costs associated with obesity and related diseases have risen dramatically and are expected to continue to rise. Accordingly, novel therapeutic strategies to combat obesity are needed.